Drawings have been used for centuries to simplify the transformation of natural resources into desired devices, components, and structures. Historically, drawings were created by draftspersons using pencil and paper. Drawings could also be inked. Improvements came over time and eventually paper drawings were transferable onto more durable media such as Mylar film. With the rise of computers, computer aided design (CAD) became commonplace. Today computers are used to assist drafting throughout almost every industry, from aircraft manufacturing to missile design to telecommunications implementations, but editing these drawings has remained difficult.
As CAD programs evolved, they became highly complex. High demands for accuracy and increased functionality make CAD programs difficult to use. One reason why it is desirable to have a single group or entity make changes to drawings is because CAD software applications are difficult to use. Version control is another reason, as is resolving the difficulty of keeping those who make changes aware of standardizations used in drawings. Version control refers to the process by which changes are implemented chronologically. When a company needs to make changes to drawings, those changes need to be implemented in a timely and efficient manner. Although some situations in a development environment lend themselves to public or unmonitored modifications, most environments contemplate a single source of draftspersons to implement changes to drawings.
One method of implementing changes to drawings includes first acquiring a hard copy, or printed version, of the drawing. That hard copy is manually marked up according to the desired changes. To mark up a drawing is to designate edits to be made. This hard copy, marked-up version must then be mailed or sent to a drafting department. The drafting department receives the drawing (typically through a mail system) and reviews the changes. If the draftsperson is able to understand what changes need to be made, these changes are made and confirmation is then returned to the person who requested the changes. This method for updating drawings can easily exceed a month to complete.
There are several problems associated with manual retrieval and manual mark-ups. During the lag period of a month or so, additional changes may be erroneously attempted to be made to the drawing by other individuals. For instance, in a telecommunications environment, drawings are used to delineate where specific equipment is located. This equipment is used to facilitate data and voice transmissions across a telecommunications network. If a first engineer needed to make a change to a first drawing, [s]he must wait thirty or forty days until those changes are made and communicated back to him or her. There is a possibility that a second engineer may attempt to modify the same first drawing before the first engineer's changes are actually implemented in the drawing(s). Such an inefficient process wastes resources, increases implementation time, and increases expense.
An improved method includes centralizing all drawings in a network storage device. These drawings can then be accessed via a network but still must be printed and physically marked up in order to have changes implemented. Centralizing the drawings and making them more accessible can reduce the lag time from start to finish to within a few days. But even a few days can translate into an unacceptable wait in today's work environments. Projects may have to wait and cannot be worked on until drawings are updated. The longer it takes drawings to be updated, the longer the process extends to complete a given project. Moreover, the problems associated with manually marked up drawings persist.
When a drawing is manually marked up, the draftsperson is left at the mercy of the marker to clearly communicate the desired changes. Sometimes marking guidelines are created—albeit not always followed—to help make changes clear. For instance, an exemplary guideline may be to mark additions in green and deletions in yellow. But what if a fledgling engineer marks an addition in yellow? The draftsperson must attempt to contact or send the drawing back to the engineer for clarification, delaying time to completion and increasing the likelihood that someone else may rely on an outdated drawing.
A potential alternative to extended lag times would be to permit individuals who desire changes to be made (“markers”) to actually make the changes to a specific drawing. However, such a solution would require that all markers possess the specialized knowledge associated with computer-drafting applications as well as a knowledge of drawing standards applicable to a specific environment. Such cross-functionality is uncommon in today's workplace.
A field technician, analyst, patent prosecutor, engineer or the like may understand how to develop, construct and implement certain technologies but may not have any skill relating to computer-aided drafting, nor of the specific ways to actually implement desired changes. That is, certain lines may need to have certain widths, arrows may need to be open or closed, certain changes may need to be made in a certain color. The list of business or development requirements in the myriad of applicable scenarios is almost endless. The engineer may not know how to actually select a line width, arrowhead, color, etcetera. Such knowledge is beyond his/her required skill set.
Moreover, resources would need to be expended to train anyone who may desire to change a drawing. This method is an inefficient use of resources. The person desiring to make a change would have to be familiar with all accepted internal or external drafting codes and standards. It is more resourceful to have a dedicated group of individuals making changes who are intimately familiar with the CAD software applications, drafting codes, and standards.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and system of denoting changes to an existing drawing while preserving the actual drawing until the changes can be implemented. There is a need to enable an individual who wishes to make changes to a drawing to be able to denote such a change clearly on a drawing and have that change implemented more quickly than is possible today given the current state of the art.